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News Digest: July 11, 2012 报摘： 2012年7月11日

By newsdoug on July 10, 2012

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 11. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) New iPad Arrives in China on Friday, July 20 (Businesswire)

Tudou (Nasdaq: TUDO) Says COO Resigns, Youku (NYSE: YOKU) Merger Going Smoothly (English article)

Huawei Eyes Management Deals with Etisalat, Saudi Telecom (English article)

Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) Expands into Canada (PRNewswire)

Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) Chairman: Price Wars Will Speed Up Industry Reshuffle (Chinese article)

News Digest: July 6, 2012 报摘： 2012年7月6日

By newsdoug on July 6, 2012

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 6. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.

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◙ Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) to Launch New iPad in China in Late July – Source (English article)

◙ Carlyle Acquires 49 Percent of China Mid-Tier Hotel Chain (English article)

◙ Jingdong Mall, Investors Agree to Delay IPO, Seek New Funding Round (Chinese article)

◙ Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) China Enters Mobile Retail (English article)

◙ Bloomberg Sites Blocked in China Days After Xi Family Wealth Story (English article)

Apple iPad Settlement: A Victory for China iPad商标纠纷获和解对苹果和中国是双赢

By newsdoug on July 3, 2012

After months of haggling, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has finally settled a high-profile trademark dispute with a bankrupt Chinese company over use of the iPad name, paving the way for the US tech giant to continue an aggressive ramp-up in a market that has become its second largest worldwide. News of this settlement looks good for not only Apple but also China, allowing the former to reclaim rights to the iPad name while showing companies that Beijing is committed to creating a business friendly environment for those who play by the rules.

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News Digest: July 3, 2012 报摘： 2012年7月3日

By newsdoug on July 2, 2012

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 3. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.

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◙ Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Pays $60 Million to Settle China iPad Trademark Dispute (English article)

◙ Youku-Tudou Online Video Market Share Drops to 32.4 Pct in Q1 – Analysys (Chinese article)

◙ Youku (NYSE: YOKU) Announces Senior Management Promotions (PRNewswire)

◙ Sohu (Nasdaq: SOHU) Buys Back 10 Pct of Sogou Search Engine Held by Alibaba (Chinese article)

◙ Home Inns (Nasdaq: HMIN) Announces Acquisition of eJia Express Hotels (PRNewswire)

Qualcomm Key on China Mobile iPhone Deal 中国移动能否引进iPhone关键要看高通

By newsdoug on June 25, 2012

China Mobile iPhone deal moves closer Wireless giant China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) is sending out some interesting new signals that look like positive developments in its stalled iPhone deal with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), as well as its drive to develop its e-commerce business. Let’s look at the iPhone development first, as it’s the one with the most potential to give a much-needed boost to China Mobile and its poorly performing 3G network, which has suffered from technical problems and also lackluster promotion by China Mobile itself.

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Huawei Set For Europe Smartphone Blitz 华为智能手机全球营销首选欧洲

By newsdoug on June 21, 2012

Huawei to launch marketing blitz Telecoms equipment giant Huawei may be a familiar name to industry insiders, but as a consumer brand it has a long way to go as it tries to develop its consumer-oriented smartphone business. In pursuit of that aim, the company is gearing up for a massive marketing blitz that looks set to target the lucrative European market first, to be followed perhaps by an eventual try at the more difficult US market. The choice of Europe for its first global smartphone offensive looks smart, mirroring a similar path for the rise to prominence of Huawei’s core networking equipment business staring in the mid 2000s.

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News Digest: June 15, 2012 报摘： 2012年6月15日

By newsdoug on June 15, 2012

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 15. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.

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◙ Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) to Share Revenue With Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) on iPhone Deal (English article)

◙ US Lawmakers Probe China Telecoms Firms Huawei, ZTE For Ties, Contracts (English article)

◙ Nissan Plans $785 Mln North China Plant, to Challenge VW, Toyota: Source (English article)

◙ Jack Ma to Step Back from Alibaba Daily Management – Source (English article)

◙ Silicon Valley Bank Gears Up China Venture (English article)

China iPhones: Apple Ties Up With Youku 中国型iPhone：苹果与优酷合作

By newsdoug on June 13, 2012

Apple ties up with Youku Smartphone powerhouse Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is finally waking up to the importance of the China market, forging a new tie-up with leading online video site Youku (NYSE: YOUK) in bid to incorporate more China-friendly features into its wildly popular iPhones. This latest deal follows the even bigger unconfirmed news last week that Apple was in talks to integrate software from leading Chinese search engine Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) into its next generation iPhone, in another major nod to the importance of a market that now accounts for a fifth of Apple’s global sales, second behind only the US. (previous post) What we see here is a growing trend for Apple to integrate leading Chinese Internet software into its next-generation iPhones, which should result in some smart new models when Apple rolls out its latest smartphone later this year. Executives speaking at a developer conference in the US have already touted the fact that the next generation iPhone will have better Chinese input and Mandarin voice recognition capabilities, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some more news leaks and announcements in the days ahead for tie-ups with other Chinese Internet leaders like e-commerce giants Alibaba or Jingdong Mall, and microblogging sensation Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo. Let’s look at this latest announcement, which has Youku saying its video site software will be integrated into the newest versions of Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems, set for release later this year. (company announcement) The integration should provide a nice boost for Youku, which will solidify its place as the country’s leading online video site with its pending merger with the second largest player, Tudou (Nasdaq: TUDO). Youku-Tudou will control a combined 40 percent of China’s online video market, and the addition of their platforms on the next-generation iPhones and Apple notebook computers could help them to further consolidate their dominance and perhaps even push them to their elusive goal of sustained profitability by year end. iPhones have become a must-have product for gadget lovers in big Chinese cities, with the smartphones now offered in plans by 2 of China’s top telcos, China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) and China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU). This new drive to create a China-friendly iPhone also hints that Apple could be near one of its biggest objectives for the market, namely the signing of an iPhone deal with China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), China’s biggest wireless carrier with two-thirds of the market. Such a deal has been repeatedly delayed due to technological reasons, but this rapid and sudden push to develop a China-friendly iPhone leads me to believe we could also see a China Mobile iPhone deal by the time the newest China iPhone comes out later this year.

Bottom line: Apple’s new tie-up with top online video site Youku is the latest step in its plans to make a China friendly iPhone, which could soon also include a long-awaited deal with China Mobile.

Baidu, Sina in Smart Cellphone Tie-Ups 百度、新浪在智能手机领域的合作

By newsdoug on June 8, 2012

HTC,新浪联手开发微博手机 After witnessing a steady stream of puzzling moves into the smartphone space by Internet companies in recent months, I’m happy to say I’m finally seeing 2 new moves that I like by sector leaders Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) and Sina (Nasdaq: SINA). The rush into smartphones has seen many major Internet firms launch their own new products in the last 12 months, from Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700) to e-commerce giant Alibaba, security software specialist Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) and game operator Shanda. Clearly these companies are trying to grab a share of the fast-growing mobile Internet market, which could easily overtake traditional desktop web surfing in just a few years with the explosion of 3G services and smartphones. But rather than partner with strong players using existing mobile platforms, many of these new initiatives are pairing with less experienced cellphone makers like home electronics giants Haier and Changhong, meaning their chances of success are very limited. That’s why I like these 2 new deals with Baidu and Sina, which will see each company partner with a strong smartphone player in a very targeted way rather than trying to develop completely new models. In Baidu’s case, China’s leading search engine is reportedly close to a deal that will see its mobile search engines pre-installed on Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) wildly popular iPhones sold in China. (English article) Meantime, Sina has signed a deal that will see its popular Weibo microblogging service featured prominently on the home screen of a second-generation smartphone model developed for China by Taiwan’s HTC (Taipei: 2498), another strong handset maker. (Chinese article) Let’s look quickly at the Apple-Baidu deal first, as that’s the bigger of the 2 and looks like a smart move for both companies. Apple’s iPhones are quite popular in China, but their high price tag means the models now command a much smaller portion of the market than cheaper smartphones using Google’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) free Android operating system. So this move should help Apple to gain some share by providing easier access to China’s most popular search engine. From Baidu’s perspective, inclusion of its search engine on iPhones should help it gain more dominance in the mobile Internet, an area it doesn’t dominate nearly as much as it does for traditional desktop web searching. The Sina-HTC tie-up should also benefit both of its partners, giving Sina greater exposure for Weibo as it tries to monetize the popular microblogging service in the run-up to an eventual IPO. The tie-up could also provide a sales lift for HTC, whose fortunes have sputtered recently, as Weibo enthusiasts might be more likely to buy this new smartphone model. I hope we see more tie-ups like this in the months ahead, as they look like smart ways to gain share in the emerging mobile Internet. In the meantime, look for these other initiatives involving self-developed smartphones from Alibaba, Shanda and others to be quietly retired in the months ahead after they find few or no buyers after their roll-outs.

Bottom line: New tie-ups by Sina and Baidu look like good highly focused moves to gain share in the crowded mobile Internet market by pairing with established smartphone makers.

News Digest: June 8, 2012 报摘： 2012年6月8日

By newsdoug on June 7, 2012

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 8. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.

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◙ Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) China Head Steve Gill Steps Down After 10 Months (Chinese article)

◙ Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Said to Add Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) as iPhone Search Engine in China (English article)

◙ Suning.com (Shenzhen: 002024) to Offer In-Store Pick-Up Nationwide (English article)

◙ Alibaba Open to Temasek, CIC Investment to Buy Back Yahoo Stake (English article)

◙ BYD (HKEx: 1211) Wins European Electric Bus Orders for Netherlands Schiermonnikoog (Businesswire)

China Mobile Nears iPhone Deal 中国移动引进iPhone在即

By newsdoug on May 17, 2012

China Mobile restarts stalled iPhone talks My headline for this post may be a little misleading, as I’m purely guessing based on the latest media reports that China’s dominant wireless carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) may soon sign a long-anticipated deal to sell an Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone that can run on its struggling 3 network based on a homegrown Chinese technology. In fact, the actual news in this case is relatively simple, with China Mobile’s new Chairman Xi Guohua telling investors at the company’s annual meeting in Hong Kong that he is talking with Apple about developing an iPhone for a technology called TD-SCDMA, which is the basis for China Mobile’s 3G network. (English article; Chinese article) Xi, who took over as China Mobile’s chairman in March after the retirement of his long-serving predecessor Wang Jianzhou, didn’t say very much more on the subject, except to add that there were no guarantees that a deal would be reached. The 2 sides had actually previously talked about a TD-SCDMA iPhone as much as a year ago, but they never reached a deal for reasons that were never disclosed. My guess is that the conservative Wang wanted Apple to take most of the risk for developing the TD-SCDMA iPhone, figuring that Apple wouldn’t mind spending lots of its own R&D dollars to develop a model for the world’s largest mobile carrier with more than 600 million subscribers. If that was the case, Apple clearly balked at taking such risk by itself and the 2 sides never reached a deal that would have clearly benefited both, especially China Mobile as it steadily lost 3G market share to more aggressive rivals China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) and China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA), which both offer iPhones for their networks. But the situation may have taken a major turn in March when Wang finally retired after months of rumors, leaving Xi to finally take the reins of a company that has seen its growth slow to a crawl in the last 3 years under Wang’s conservative leadership. Not long after Wang left, Apple’s Tim Cook came to China for his own first visit since taking over as the company’s chief executive from Steve Jobs. (previous post) Media closely followed Cook’s trip, which included meetings with top government and industry leaders even though no mention was ever made of a visit to China Mobile. Still, I am quite sure that Cook must have met with Xi and other top China Mobile executives during the visit, with discussion of restarting the stalled TD-SCDMA iPhone talks most likely high on the agenda. Unlike Wang, Xi must realize that his company needs to take some major action to develop its 3G business, which is where the future of mobile communications lies. China Mobile already has a huge cash pile that it never seems to spend or return to investors, and I suspect that a newly empowered Xi will finally be willing to spend some of that money to share more of the risk with Apple for developing a TD-SCDMA iPhone. If that’s the case, look for the 2 sides to make rapid progress in their current talks and announce a long-delayed and much needed iPhone deal in the next 2-3 months, which could greatly boost China Mobile’s prospects in the 3G space and its broader overall outlook.

Bottom line: Apple’s stalled iPhone talks with China Mobile appear to have restarted under the carrier’s new, more progressive leadership, with a long awaited deal possible in the next 2-3 months.